Walking itinerary: Bort-les-Orgues loop

Starting from the majestic Bort dam, you follow the riverbank to the 13th-century Château de Val. The path becomes chaotic, but offers superb views, including the ruins of Thynières and the Grange Haute beach. You then enter the Puy-de-Dôme, pass through three pretty villages, then descend to the Arpiat bridge to return to Corrèze on the right bank. Confolent offers a well-deserved break with its refuge area. The following day, a succession of ascents and descents will take you back to Bort via Outreval, opposite the Château de Val, for a final steep descent along the hydraulic giant.